Culture and Passion Will Show Up on your Financials

Outsourced CFO Support that grows your cash and your confidence

Hi Reader,

This has been heavy on my mind recently as I've reviewed the last 12 months of work with a particular client.

There is something that all businesses need to be aware of that won't show up in your financial statements, and yet will inevitably show up there anyway.

Passion. Ownership. Culture.

I'm starting to sound like an AI bot, I'm not I swear.

This particular client, who I've come to care deeply for, went through the death of a co-owner, her adult daughter.

I don't think this gets talked about. I really haven't seen it anywhere. Something like this is incredibly emotional and disruz, and it also often completely changes the way a business operates.

Naturally, a key person is no longer there to do their job, and there's an open seat to fill, but it goes beyond that. It's about the passion an owner brings to a team, the sense of ownership, and the culture that relies entirely on the people who make up the business.

These things can't be outsourced to a consultant. You have to intentionally choose to build them. If you don't have a healthy culture, an invested owner, and a passionate team, your financials may not immediately show it, but you know it's there. And by the time it shows up on paper, sometimes it's too late.

A Fractional CFO can't heal the pain of a devastating personal loss or fix your culture, step in as an owner, or drive passion. But our team can identify the problem you're facing and help carry the financial burden while you navigate something difficult.

📋 What's inside

💤 Quality Sleep and Quality Margins Check-in
🎬 Our latest YouTube video
🏆 How to work with us
🛠️ Finance Fight Club's Resource Toolkit
❤️ Natalie's Favorite Things
🔄 In case you missed it on the blog

💤 Quality Sleep and 💸 Quality Margins Check-in!

I announced in December my theme for 2026: Sleep + Margins.

To keep it front and center, I'm making it an entire section of the newsletter. Thanks for following along!

SLEEP:

I've had a nice light at the end of the tunnel lately. Two full nights of sleep in the last three, and last night wasn't bad either.

The little sleep-terrorist is changing his ways (more like adjusting to his new bed and ending a growth spurt, but I'll take it).

On a side note, a long time ago when I was dealing with sleep deprivation with a now older child, I was told to prioritize sleep over exercise. I don't feel that way anymore. I've learned that I can control if I exercise and without it I'm much worse off. Skipping workouts in lieu of sleep doesn't work for me.

MARGINS:

Back to my original note on client situations where we can't seem to find better margins, sometimes it's not what you think. In some cases, you have to look beyond the financials to make improvements. Passion, ownership, and culture being among them.

Other times, your margins are stuck and you need to focus on volume or a new line of business to increase them.

What are you doing to increase your margins? What margins are you looking at? I'd love to hear from you!

For those who missed the last newsletter, here are our stats:

On average, clients that work with us 12 months or longer are seeing:

464% increase in revenue
320% increase in net income $
199% increase in net profit margin
147% decrease in expenses as a % of revenue (which is more $$ to invest in future growth or pay owners)

🎬 Finance Fight Club on YouTube

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